One of the great things about living in the middle of Virginia Horse country is the annual spectacle of the Middleburg Hunt Christmas parade.I didn’t get to go last year because of schedule challenges, but this year the photo club trekked up the road.When we departed Warrenton, it was clear and sunny and we joked about how un-December like that was.We should have not taunted the weather gods.When we arrived in Middleburg it was cold, gray, foggy, and cold.Luckily we arrived early so we could stand out on the street in front of the sadly closed liquor store and wait.The parade goes by pretty quickly; it has no floats or clowns, but instead shows off the heritage and the colorful riding attire of the local fox hunters, their gorgeous horses and the full pack of foxhounds.

You get to see the riders in their “pinks”, the formal bowlers, ladies riding sidesaddle and youngsters trotting along on their ponies.

Photographically, it was challenging to get the entire horse and rider well framed as the rode down the street.The police had to clear the photographers out of the way a couple of times. The black of the outfits can be captured even with the really gray skies acting as a giant fill light by adjusting the shadow slider in Lightroom.

Lots of dogs attended the parade as if to see their cousins on parade.

I hope everyone has got their photographic wish lists into Santa early this year.